Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Tuesday Buildup: Interview with Detective Rhett Duprees

We're back on schedule! Mostly, that is. There may be an interruption after the first of the year when Taken goes on tour, but for now we're going to go with the idea that there's nothing but smooth sailing until the release of Shades of Desire in February.

This week, we've got a new character in the hotseat, Detective Rhett Duprees. Without any further ado...

So, tell us a little about yourself--where you were born, how old you are....

Well, I was born here in New Orleans, like my parents, and their parents, and well...most of my family, truth be told. Rambled my way through school here, put in a little time at Tulane before deciding to get into police work. After my first day at the academy, I knew I'd made the right choice.You didn't mention how old you are. Come on, inquiring minds want to know.

Just like a true lady never reveals her age, neither does a true gentleman--or at least not according to my mama. Let's just say I'm old enough to drink and old enough to rent a car without needing adult supervision, but I haven't hit the big 3-0 yet.I guess that will have to do. So, did you just fall into the role of police liaison for the Covenant?

You could say I did. Like most locals, I'm pretty familiar with all the ghost and vampire and voodoo stories in New Orleans. It's kind of like our version of a bedtime story. My great-great-great grandma--I think--used to pal around with Marie Leveau's daughter, way back when that kind of thing was a major social faux pas, so we've always been a little more open-minded in my family than most good Catholics probably would be. Whenever the Chief of Police approached me about partnering up with the previous liaison, I figured, "Why not?"

So you've been serving as liaison for how long now?

Right around a year, give or take a bit. To be honest, there wasn't a whole helluva lot going on until the past couple of months. We just checked in now and then, made sure everything was going smooth. And then Jude came into the picture, Gillian died, and well...the supernatural shit hit the fan.That's definitely one way to put it. How are you doing under the new leader? Any thoughts you'd like to share?

I'll say it's too early to come down on either side of the fence. Jude seems to know what she's doing for the most part, which is good. But she's also reckless, which is definitely not good when dealing with creatures that are likely to rip your throat out first, ask questions second. And whatever's going on between her, Theo and Williams is something that's going to eventually blow up in everybody's face.Wow, way to be a total Debbie Downer there, Detective.

I'd say I'm being realistic. Or cynical. Either way, that's one of the things I get paid for--making sure the explosions are few and far between with a minimal blast radius.In that case, we'll let you get back to it. Thanks for stopping by, Detective.

And there you have it! Obviously, he couldn't stick around for long, since we all know the holidays making everyone crazy, and supernatural creatures definitely aren't excluded. Check back next week for another excerpt, and tune in tomorrow to get a sneak peak at the much hyped super secret project/series of 2013!